- Flash Japan Manufacturing PMI™ at 50.9 (49.9 in April). Operating conditions improve slightly in May.
- Flash Japan Manufacturing Output Index at 51.7 (49.3 in April). Production rises at moderate pace.
Reflective of an overall improvement in operating conditions at Japanese manufacturers was a return to growth of both production and new orders in May. Moreover, the rates of expansion were faster than their respective long-term averages. Subsequently, employment rose at the quickest rate since December last year, while buying activity increased for the third time this year so far.
Meanwhile, input prices increased at the weakest rate in the current 29-month sequence of inflation, while charges stabilised, following a three-month period of decline.
